How South Carolina’s Burch, Strachan are rising to challenge as edge rushers
Jordan Strachan doesn’t mince words.
He tied for the national lead in sacks at Georgia State in 2020. A transfer to South Carolina followed. His first year in Garnet and Black, though, wasn’t up to his own standard — a standard he says dates back to his earliest playing days as a kid.
Strachan could’ve entered the NFL Draft after USC’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina. He could’ve even stayed at Georgia State. Now he’s back for another run with the Gamecocks and is slated to be an anchor of the 2022 defensive line.
“I had to come back,” Strachan said on Wednesday. “I’ve had a certain way (of thinking) since I was a little boy — where I see myself, what I see myself doing before I tried to take that next step. And I just felt like I didn’t take those steps or I wasn’t in the best position I knew I could be.
“I came here for a reason. I could’ve stayed at Georgia State and had a better draft stock than I did coming out this year. I came here for a reason and I want to utilize that.”
Losing Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare and Aaron Sterling at defensive end to the NFL is a blow for a South Carolina defense that outperformed preseason prognostications a season ago.
But Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer and defensive coordinator Clayton White aren’t fretting. Strachan is back. So too, is former five-star recruit Jordan Burch. Both are being challenged to take on the roles vacated by Enagbare and Sterling.
“I think both those guys realize there’s no JJ and Aaron Sterling here anymore,” Beamer said earlier this spring. “It’s time for them to step up. Jordan Strachan came back for another year to take another step, and Jordan Burch knows it’s his time, so to speak.”
Strachan came to South Carolina with expectations, albeit as a bit of an unknown. He was the most high-profile of the Gamecocks’ transfer imports during Beamer’s first spring as head coach. Strachan also had to make the physical and mental jump from playing in the Sun Belt to the Southeastern Conference.
That shift came with mixed results. Strachan retooled his body to better handle the physicality of SEC offensive and defensive line play. He worked into the mix alongside Enagbare and Sterling as more of a rotational piece than as a starter, capping the year with 23 tackles — the lowest output of his three full seasons at the college level.
There was at least some thought Strachan could turn pro and test himself into a solid draft position. But coming back for another year and as a projected starter gives him a platform to push himself further up 2023 NFL Draft boards.
“I’ve kind of been in this position before,” Strachan said of taking on a more featured spot in South Carolina’s defense. “It doesn’t feel different. I just feel like I’m back to where I need to be, where I’m supposed to be.”
While Strachan was a headliner in last year’s transfer class, Burch ranks as the second-best recruit to sign with South Carolina in the modern recruiting era, per 247Sports. The only player rated higher? That’d be Jadeveon Clowney.
Burch’s career hasn’t so much been a disappointment as it has taken time to develop. Rated the No. 8 player in the 2020 class out of Hammond School by 247Sports, the hope was he could quickly turn into an impact player at the college level.
The Columbia product showed in flashes a season ago after notching 19 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss as a freshman. Burch returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown against Eastern Illinois. He earned his first career sack against Florida. He also recorded at least four tackles in games against Clemson, Auburn and North Carolina.
Like Strachan, though, Burch’s snaps were limited some to Sterling and Enagbare’s play. Heading into his third year at South Carolina, the hope is Burch can now match his physical tools with numbers that could see NFL teams sniffing around both of the Gamecocks’ projected starting edge rushers in an increased role.
“They may be uncomfortable right now,” White said earlier this month. “But that means that they’re probably growing, which is good. I think those guys are ready for the moment.”
South Carolina has developed a recent track record for churning out NFL-caliber defensive lineman.
Seven former Gamecocks defensive ends or tackles have been selected in the NFL Draft since 2011. Enagbare will almost certainly be added to that list. Sterling and ex-USC defensive tackle Jabari Ellis could also conceivably hear their names called during next month’s draft.
Strachan and Burch both profile as legitimate NFL players in 2023. In the interim, they’ll try to fill the starring roles their predecessors parlayed into potential professional careers.
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
